Watch out for dog-strangling vine

Dog-strangling vine has arrived.

Although this garden thug has never been seen harming our four-footed friends, and despite looking rather dainty and tender, do not be taken in. After being introduced into the United States in the mid- 1800s for garden use, it has been making itself a nuisance ever since. Black swallowwort or pale swallowwort as it is sometimes called, is an aggressive perennial twining vine that can grow two metres high, wrapping around trees and other plants for support. It has reached a point where it is becoming a threat to our native ecosystem and needs to be noticed and removed wherever possible.

Be on the lookout for a vine with pointed, oval leaves arranged oppositely on a slender but sturdy stem. Its small star-shaped pink to maroon flowers are nondescript, blooming in late May to mid-July. Its seeds are enclosed in slim pods which are look- alike members of the milkweed family; brown, flat and egg-shaped with white silky fluff which carries them far and wide when they burst open.

Although it prefers sunny spaces, this invasive will tolerate some shade. This sneaky plant can form dense patches and can eventually take over, choking out our native plants.

It has arrived in Creemore and area so if you see it, pull or dig it out, trying to get all the root, as it can also spread by root fragments. If it is blooming, the flowers can be removed to help in controlling the spread… Do not put any of this most unwelcome guest in your compost pile! Instead, put all parts in a black garbage bag and bake it in the sun, or burn it if possible.

Submitted by Dorothy Shropshire and Kathy Meeser, custodians of Grandmother’s Garden.

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